Campfire Calamity
by Anjyu
Summary: Arnold and the gang have graduated from middle school and are going on a class trip to Camp Fading Moss to spend some time together before they begin high school. The camp has some dark secrets and is all but willing to unleash it's terror on the unsuspecting group. What will become of them and will they make it out alive?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Author's Note: **This idea randomly popped in my head today and if it gets enough reviews I may continue it. I wanted to do a story about them being in middle school and this one seemed appropriate. The story takes place after the gangs middle school graduation. They're all taking a class trip to a camp called Fading Moss before they all start high school. Every graduating eighth grade class takes this trip every year based on tradition but there's something eerily strange about the old camp that everyone refuses to talk about. The gang is about to find out just what that thing is.

"Okay class how about another campfire song?" Mr. Simmons cheered enthusiastically causing the entire bus full of teens to roll their eyes and let out a loud groan of protest.

"Oh come on it'll be fun!" he chirped as he began another overly hyped version of "Down By The Bay".

"Oh I adore this song!" Eugene chimed in as he began to sing along with Mr. Simmons heartily.

Helga thought her ears were going to bleed as she turned to Phoebe with a disgruntled look on her face, "Pheebs how much longer am I going to have to sit on this bus with all these twats!?"

"Oh well let's see we've been riding the bus for about an hour and a half, so I would say we have at least another hour to go." Phoebe returned tapping her watch in time with the overly buoyant tune.

"Well that's just great now isn't it?" she said with gritted teeth and a forced smile.

"I brought my ipod if you want to listen…I can get it out if you want." Phoebe offered once she saw Helga's dangerous expression.

"Yes please spare me from anymore ear canal damage!" she begged over dramatically causing the Asian girl to grin.

"Getting!" she chortled as she pulled out the blue ipod shuffle and offered Helga an ear bud before taking one for herself. Helga seemed a lot more calm now and the campfire songs died down about twenty minutes later when a fly flew down Eugene's throat causing him to choke, but he was okay after Sheena did the Heimlich maneuver on him.

~X~

Arnold stared dreamily at the passing landscape outside of his window. The land had become more hilly with rich vegetation. He was beginning to see less and less of the things that reminded him of Hillwood and more and more that told him that it was far behind him. He had many fond memories of camping with his grandpa, and he'd been anticipating the trip to Camp Fading Moss all year long. He liked the city but there was just something about the country that awakened his senses. He couldn't wait to go hiking, sing campfire songs, go swimming in the lake, go on a scavenger hunt, eat mediocre cafeteria food, and just spend a wonderful week making memories with all his friends.

"Man what's got your head in the clouds?" Gerald asked giving Arnold a droll look. The dark skinned boy was now an astounding 6'1" with the same tall hair. He sported a goatee and would always stroke it when he was in deep thought.

"Well Gerald I was just thinking about all the fun we're going to have on this trip. I can't help but feel a little excited can I?" Arnold carried on like an eager child who'd been given a lifetime supply of free tickets to Dino Land.

"The only thing I'm excited about is raiding the girls camp and cultivating a little summer romance." Gerald winked causing Arnold to roll his eyes.

"We're here to make memories Gerald and spend our final moments together as a class having fun" Arnold pointed out, but Gerald just shrugged at the blond boys disapproval.

"And that my friend is why you're still single!" Gerald was quick to point out before Arnold could roll his eyes in response.

"Um Gerald you're still single too."

Gerald blinked at his response before waving his hand in his face, "Yeah well I'm going to change all that this week."

"Whatever you say Gerald." he responded before turning back towards the window. Mr. Simmons had began a new chorus of "Found a Peanut" which reluctantly everyone had joined in before they pulled up to the campsite.

~X~

Helga grabbed her pink duffle bag and followed Phoebe off the bus. The group of teens was relatively small, and they would only be occupying two cabins for the week. Mr. Simmons would be staying with the boys in one cabin and their eighth grade math teacher Mrs. Truman would be staying with the girls in their cabin.

Mr. Simmons wasn't their teacher anymore, but he had been volunteered to chaperone because their science teacher Mr. Douglas had become ill. He always favored their class over all the others he'd had at PS.118 and had nominated them as some of his "most special" students.

Camp Fading Moss was an old camp that wasn't used but a few times during the summer because of its failing condition. There were a total of fifteen cabins and five bath houses but the camp's popularity had declined throughout the years.

The camp had been built during the 1940s and ran almost every week during the summer until the mid seventies when a tragedy struck. This unfathomable happening had resulted in the camp being shut down for many years until a new owner bought it almost a decade later and decided to restore it for recreational and private usage.

The camp was ideal for small gatherings and miniature trips such as the one Hillwood Middle School hosted every year for it's graduating class.

"Come on Pheebs! I want a top bunk! I'm not going to be stuck on the bottom under someone's-" Helga narrated as she drug her small friend behind her but was caught off guard when a girl wearing khaki shorts and a designer red tank top stopped her.

"I don't think so Pataki…I've already called those top bunks for your information." the girl expressed holding up her hand in a halting gesture.

"You and what army princess?" Helga scoffed attempting to push Rhonda against the cabin door. Rhonda gulped back the bile in her throat as the blond viper cornered her.

"Well you know now that I've thought about it there's not that many of us and probably enough room for all of us to have a top bunk!" Rhonda laughed playing it off which resulted in Helga backing away from the prima donna.

"That's what I thought." Helga huffed as she opened the creaky door. Phoebe stepped in behind her, and they began examining the room. There were eight beds and all of them had a top bunk. There was even also a private room that conjoined theirs that Mrs. Truman would sleep in.

"I'm ever so certain this bag is really heavy Rhonda." a sweet syrupy voice rasped trudging a large suitcase behind her.

"How much stuff did you pack Rhonda?" Nadine groaned as she drug another one of Rhonda's large bags behind Lila.

"You never know when there's going to be a fashion emergency!" Rhonda countered as she made her way over to her "claimed" top bunk which sat right in the middle of Lila and Nadine's.

"What kind of emergency could you possibly have? We're at a campground in the middle of nowhere. We're going to be getting sweaty and dirty all week." Nadine replied with an eye roll.

"You may be getting sweaty and dirty Nadine, but I certainly will not be participating in such barbaric activity." Rhonda cut in before taking out her pink frilly bed linens.

"I'm ever so certain it's just going to be loads of fun!" Lila chirped as she unzipped her duffel bag and began making her own bed.

"Yep loads of fun." Helga muttered to Phoebe on the opposite side of the room.

"What's the matter Helga?" Phoebe whispered as she sat down on her newly made bed.

"Oh I was just thinking of how it's going to be "ever so" wonderful to spend an entire week with these chuckleheads…Sheesh!" Helga groaned causing Phoebe to giggle.

"Well remember there is one good thing about this trip." the Japanese girl reminded her.

"And what could that be?" Helga blinked pulling a bag of pork rinds out of her bag. She opened the bag and began to chow down before Phoebe dared her with her response.

"Ice cream of course." she whispered into Helga's ear, curving a smile when Helga almost choked on a pork rind.

~X~

Arnold laid on his newly made bed and stared up with a half lidded gaze towards the ceiling. The ceiling had once been white but was now discolored with signs of mildew from a leaky roof.

"Hey man you going to take a nap or something? The guys and I thought we'd take a little tour of the campground if you're up to it." Gerald butt in causing Arnold to sit up and rub his tired eyes.

"Yeah that sounds like fun." he agreed jumping off the top bunk and following Gerald out of the creaky cabin door.

There stood Stinky, Sid, Harold, Eugene, Curly, and Brainy waiting on him. The group was fairly small just like the girl's cabin which consisted of Helga, Phoebe, Rhonda, Nadine, Lila, Sheena, and Gloria.

Arnold liked the fact that their group was small and intimate. He wasn't looking forward to high school next year because he knew they would all be separated and put into different classes. He wanted this week to last as long as possible and cherish their last moments together before they all parted ways forever.

"So where are we going first?" Sid asked pulling Arnold out of his daydream.

"Why don't we go check out the bathhouse? I'd like to know how I'm going to bug-I mean become familiar with the premises and such." Curly said a little too eagerly causing them to give him questioning looks.

"Yeah I guess we need to figure out a shower schedule." Gerald shrugged leading the group to the bathhouse. He opened the door to reveal three small shower stalls and four bathroom stalls.

"I brought my pool shoes for this…There's no way I'm stepping in there barefoot…Nasty." Gerald shuddered opening the shower to reveal a trail of black mode climbing the walls.

"EW! What is that!" Harold squealed pointing at the black substance adorning the shower walls.

"It's mold Harold." Arnold pointed out with a shake of his head.

"Willikers! When do you reckon they last cleaned these things?" Stinky piped up gaining Curly's attention as he scarped his finger across the mold.

"I would say 1985 when they reopened the camp." Curly reported sniffing the mold causing the group to gag before he wiped it back on the shower wall.

"What do you want to sniff the mold too Harold?" Curly grinned manically shoving his finger in Harold's face.

"Come on Harold sniff the glorious mold!" he cackled as his finger oozed with the black substance causing Harold to cower out of the bathhouse and run for his life while Curly chased him.

"Mommy! Get it away from me mommy!" Harold cried as he ran towards the woods with Curly on his tail laughing like a maniac.

"It's going to be a long week." Gerald remarked while shaking his head in disgust.

"It won't be long enough for me." Arnold muttered leaving the rest of them in the bathhouse as he went away to ponder his thoughts.

**A/AN: Well here's the prologue! I know it's probably not that interesting of a start, but I hope to have chapter one up soon which will explain more of what's going on! Will there be Arnold and Helga romance? Most definitely! Please Review! They make me smile! ****J Also if you can think of a better name for the camp then please leave your suggestions in the reviews.**


	2. Campfire Tales

**Chapter One**

**Campfire Tales**

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the reviews! This chapter gets more into the "nitty gritty" I guess you could say. Keep those reviews coming! I'm not absolutely sure how twisted this story is going to be but be prepared for some slight gore!

The sun began to set behind the mountain ranges that rested behind the campground. A splay of purples, reds, oranges, and pinks colored the sky in breath taking majesty. The group had settled in the mess hall for some hotdogs and chili. Mr. Simmons and Ms. Truman sat down at a separate table going over the weeks worth of events they had planned.

The group all sat at one table chattering away about the upcoming week. Rhonda sat between Nadine and Lila and kept going on about her "fashionable" hiking gear she'd purchased just for this said trip. Harold sat in front of them and looked like he had skipped off to lala land with the glazed look he held in his eyes.

Sheena and Eugene were animatedly talking about the scavenger hunt that was held every year. Curly was looking around the mess hall paranoid of the right corner of the room. He would scan its contents and then his eyes would latch onto that corner and then he would making a beeping sound.

"Poor twisted little freak." Helga muttered to Phoebe watching Curly out of the corner of her eye as she shoved another chilly covered hotdog in her mouth.

Gerald placed his paper plate filled to the brim with chili and hotdogs in front of Phoebe and Helga. He popped open his can of Yahoo soda before guzzling down half of its contents. He wiped some stray drops of the chocolaty liquid from his goatee before giving them a little wink.

"Think your going to starve or something Geraldo?" Helga snickered at the impressive plate full of chili and hotdogs.

Gerald just shrugged at Helga's comment, " A mans gotta eat Pataki." He lazily bit into another hotdog before turning his attention back to Phoebe.

"Wow Gerald I must say that is quiet an impressive spread." Phoebe chortled taking small petite bites of her hotdog.

Helga just rolled her eyes at the two of them and barely noticed when the flaxen haired boy took a seat in front of her, "Hey Helga." he greeted her almost causing her to choke on her hotdog.

"Oh hey there football head…Excited about being stuck here with all of these goons for the next seven days?" Helga scoffed as she pointed her dirty fork towards the other occupants.

"I'm very excited that we're getting to spend time together this week and make some memories. I mean when we all go to high school next year we'll all have separate classes and probably won't ever get to see each other that much." he replied popping the cap off of his yahoo soda.

"High school is going to be awesome because I'm not going to have to see any of these chumps ever again!" Helga cheered with a victorious fist pump in the air.

"You don't mean that Helga…You know you're going to miss seeing all our old classmates. You need to cherish these final moments that we have left together." he imparted causing her to make a gagging sound with her mouth.

"Quit being such a sap Arnoldo." she scoffed turning back towards Phoebe. He was about to retaliate until the words "food fight" were screamed across the mess hall. He felt a large glob of chilly hit his green t-shirt. He dunked under the table dragging Helga along with him.

"What gives football head!" Helga growled trying to push him away, but he only pulled her closer. She felt her cheeks become hot with embarrassment from such close contact.

"What are you doing?" she hissed at him angrily.

"I didn't think you wanted to get splattered with food is all. I was just trying to be considerate." he shrugged, and she felt her heart melt within her chest.

'_Oh my beloved how considerate you are of my well being and safety! You would take a glob of chili on your shirt any day to spare my wardrobe from being tainted by such sauce that's hard to wash out of cotton fabrics! ' _She felt her poetic verse being cut short when she felt him shaking her.

"Helga are you okay? The food fights over!" Arnold's voice pulled her from her calm and quaint "Arnold-based" thoughts.

"Um yeah so get your grimy hands off me football head! Quit crowding me sheesh!" Helga shot back pushing him away from her before crawling out from under the table. She didn't notice the tinge of hurt his eyes held when she pushed him. She dusted herself off while surveying her surroundings.

Mr. Simmons was yelling at Stinky and Sid in his patient but stern voice about how immature food fights were and how this type of behavior wouldn't be tolerated on the trip. Rhonda was wiping chili out of her hair in disgust which made Helga smirk with delight.

The entire group of students would either be needing showers or clean clothes, so Mr. Simmons dismissed them. Ms. Truman rubbed his back reassuringly that nothing else would go wrong as he mumbled something with his head in his hands.

They had approximately two hours before they were to meet back around the fire pit. The group parted ways and headed back to their rooms to get cleaned up. Helga examined herself and noted that she didn't need a change of clothes because Arnold had-She felt a lump rise in her throat from that sacred moment they'd shared under the table.

She felt her heart stop as she realized how rude she'd been to him, "Crimney can't I just be nice to him for once!?"

"Helga are you okay?" a soft voice erupted from behind starling her. She spun around to be met by a pair of blue rimmed glasses gazing at her questionably.

"Um yeah it's just that a certain someone who's always getting into my business tried to pull that same charade today, and I told him off." Helga shrugged like nothing was wrong, but the Japanese girl knew otherwise.

"Helga try not to be so hard on ice cream okay? You may not realize it but one day you're actually going to need him, and he may not be there for you." she stated smartly taking Helga aback.

"What are you getting at Pheebs?" Helga quirked a brow.

"All I'm saying is you never know what you've got until it's gone." the girl imparted before opening the creaky cabin door and letting herself in. She just stood there a moment as she let her friends words reverberate within her mind.

~X~

"Have you guys heard the real legend behind this camp and why it isn't used anymore?" Sid inquired to the group of boys as a chill filled the atmosphere.

"No but I'm sure you're going to tell us." Harold remarked with an eye roll as he laid down comfortably on his bunk.

"Gerald?" Sid looked at him questionably as he awaited the keeper of urban legends cue.

Gerald towel dried his hair and paused for a second, "I think we need to save this one for the campfire my brother because it isn't worthy of any less of an honor. This story deserves special consideration, and I think the ladies should be present when it's told. It's not a tale that you dare tell more than once."

The group of boys nodded in agreement and spoke nothing more of the story Gerald would retell around the campfire that night.

~X~

Mr. Simmons was strumming a hearty tune of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" while every student sang along. The fire was cackling and greedily eating up each log that was placed inside it.

"Well does anyone have any song requests?" Mr. Simmons questioned the group of teens, but no one responded which caused him to frown.

"Oh come on! I know someone has got a song!" he pleaded, but no one budged.

"Well Gerald I guess I'll hand it over to you then!" he surrendered as he took his seat on one of the wooden benches present.

Gerald cleared his throat as he stood on a flat rock close to the campfire so everyone could see him.

"Well ladies and gentleman this tale has been retold by countless students who've visited Camp Fading Moss over the years and like any tradition that should not be broken, I'm about to retell this tale. This camp was built in 1942 by a Mr. Henry Bradshaw. He and his wife inherited the land from one of Henry's relatives after they had passed. The Bradshaw's had always loved children but had never been able to have any of their own. They decided to turn the land into a summer camp for children of all ages to enjoy. The camp was a success for many years and ran every week starting at the beginning of June until the very end of August. Everything ran smoothly for about thirty years until something happened…" Gerald's eyes darkened beneath the campfire light as he cleared his throat before beginning again.

"There was a group of kids attending camp that week just like us. The girls name was Cindy Looper, and she was a looker. All the boys wanted to date her, but Cindy was a good girl until she hooked up with her camp counselor Gavin Davis. They had planned to sneak out after hours and meet by the lake and go for a swim. They both went missing for days…A search team was set up and they scourged these mountains for three days. They found Gavin mumbling incoherently about "being sorry" and "couldn't save her", but they never could get him to tell them what. He was institutionalized for several years and when they released him, he drove right back up to the camp and hung himself in that tree over by the lake. Cindy's body was never found, and Gavin never told anyone about what he saw. The camp was then deemed unsafe and shut down for many years. In the 1980s a man named Henry Shelton decided to reopen the camp, but no one seemed interested in it after Cindy Looper's disappearance. He then decided to just rent it out to small groups for week long retreats to people like ourselves. Cindy's body was never found and her disappearance still remains a mystery. They say at night you can hear sounds of a girl crying coming from the woods, but no one has ever been able to find the source of the sound. Some people even say that they've lost track of time trying to find out where it's coming from and emerge days later from the woods and don't even realize how long they've been gone." Gerald finished in a spooky voice.

"So stay away from the woods then right Gerald?" Harold gulped trying not to sound afraid.

"You bet…We wouldn't want any of you running into Cindy Looper out there would we?" Gerald cackled before taking a bow and stepping off the rock.

"Well that sure was a terrifying tale Gerald! Before we dismiss for bed I need to go over a few things." Mr. Simmons explained before he heard a few groans of protest.

"It will only take a second! Tomorrow each of you need to be in the mess hall by seven a.m. We will be taking our annual hike tomorrow so wear some good shoes. I also think it's very important to have someone we can count on this week, so I'm pairing you off into groups of two." he continued before hearing more mumbling and complaining.

"Mrs. Truman and I have already paired you off so listen for your name! Eugene and Sheena, Brian and Gloria, Sid and Nadine, Stinky and Lila, Harold and Rhonda, Gerald and Phoebe, and Arnold and Helga." he announced before gagging noises could be made.

"Curly you'll be with me and Mrs. Truman…I think it's best if I keep an eye on you." Mr. Simmons warned the boy with glasses.

Helga felt her heart leap with joy. This week couldn't get any better! She was going to be Arnold's "partner". They would be spending countless hours together.

"Man I'm sorry you had to get Helga as your partner." Gerald sighed with the shake of his head.

"Maybe it won't be so bad…I'm hoping we can finally make amends this week since we probably won't have many classes together once we start high school." Arnold replied trying to stay positive.

"I hope so for your sake man." Gerald retorted giving his friend a pat on the shoulder before leaving the group.

"Me too Gerald…Me too." he muttered before following close behind. He wasn't sure what the week held for him but one thing he didn't realize was he would be grateful to his elementary school rival by the end of the week. She would be his saving grace from many pitfalls to come.

**A/An: Well there's a little hint of what's to come! The story may sound cliché but it's deeper than it sounds. Review please!**


	3. Close Contact

**Chapter Two**

**Close Contact**

**Author's Note: **Well thanks for all of the reviews! I'm not going to spoil anything when it comes to probable character death! If you can't handle the suspense, then you may want to stop here. Think of this like an Are You Afraid of The Dark? Episode. I love and miss that show. Enjoy chapter two!

Ms. Truman had already declared it lights out and had already settled down for the night. The group of fourteen year old girls sat on top of their bunks huddled together with flashlights. They had all pushed their beds together so that they could climb across to each others easier.

"How in the heck did you get internet hook up princess?" Helga asked astounded when Rhonda had whipped out her laptop.

"I can get internet hookup anywhere in the nation. I have a special transmitter in my computer that daddy put in for me when I go on trips like this. I promised my parents I would skype with them sometime this week." Rhonda shrugged as she placed her hands on the keys in the proper fashion.

"So what are you looking up then?" Nadine inquired peering over Rhonda's shoulder.

"Well I thought I might look up something about the camps history and see if there was anything to the story Gerald told us." Rhonda stated as she pulled up her internet browser.

"That's a good idea Rhonda." Phoebe complimented her as she typed in Camp Fading Moss in the search bar.

A series of pages popped up on the search results, and Rhonda moved her mouse over the first result and clicked on it. A cluster of newspaper articles popped up about the camps grand opening back in 1942. She scrolled through the articles until she came to an article with Cindy Looper's name on it.

"Well here we go girls." Rhonda said hesitantly gulping back the bile in her throat as the anxiety began building within their minds.

The article had a picture of the camp on it and briefly explained the reason for it's closing back in 1975. The nearby lake had apparently been drained to see if they could find Cindy's missing body but nothing had shown up. The article was fruitless until the very end when it explained they had found scarps of Cindy's clothing miles from the incident but nothing more.

The rest of the article was about Gavin Davis being a prime suspect in the case, but he had been institutionalized and declared too "mentally unstable" to testify. The article never mentioned anything from Gerald's tale about his hanging.

"That's quiet chilling." Phoebe countered, and the other girls just nodded as Rhonda closed her laptop.

"Poor Cindy Looper." Lila said softly, and Sheena reached over to pat her back comfortingly as she wiped a stray tear away.

"She was a girl just like us." Gloria spoke up as the girls huddled closer together and formed a group hug.

"Guys let's be alert the rest of the week and be on our guard. I think we should all stay together and not go off anywhere alone. No one knows what happened to Cindy Looper, and whoever or whatever did this to her could still be out there." Rhonda remarked as the realization of this sunk in.

"Agreed!" they all said simultaneously. They may not have all gotten along, but no one wanted to meet a fate like Cindy had. They would all have to be on their guard if they wanted to make it out alive because _it _was still out there watching and waiting on them to make a wrong move.

The girls soon migrated to their own beds and settled in for the night. They tried to think of something peaceful, but they were all met with a restless sleep because they just couldn't shake that eerie feeling of being watched.

~X~

"I hope Cindy Looper's ghost doesn't come in here tonight and try to possess me!" Harold whined slinking under the covers.

"Harold it's just a legend…Besides if any ghost does come through that door then it will immediately run the other way once it smells your feet." Sid teased before being met by one of Harold's pillows.

"I told you that I have a medical condition! Be quiet or I'll pound you!" Harold threatened cracking his fist.

"Enough! I'm trying to go to sleep!" Gerald growled pulling his pillow over his head to block out their bickering

"Fellers I think there might just be something to that legend on account of what Wolfgang told me and Sid after his class went on the same trip were on last summer." Stinky chimed in causing several pairs of eyes to focus on him.

"Oh yeah Stink…I remember Wolfgang and Torvald mentioning something about it now." Sid replied scratching his chin fishing his brain for information.

"You know Wolfgang isn't the most reliable source of information right?" Arnold cut in not really interested in what the two boys had to say.

"Well if I remember right…Wolfgang said when they were all about to load their things on the bus to go home and that a girl in their class named Lacey Fitts was unaccounted for. They went back to the cabin and searched her room for her but all they found was her stuff neatly packed on her bed. They knew she couldn't have gone far, but they searched for hours and were about to consult the authorities. She finally emerged from the woods five hours later, and they said her clothing was torn and that she had scratches all over her. The teacher asked her what was wrong with her, but she couldn't utter a word. She had went into shock apparently and didn't talk for three days. She never would talk about the incident and whenever she was asked about it she would scream like a caged animal. Torvald said the whole family up and moved away, and no one has ever heard from them since. The rumor has it that they put Lacey in a mental facility and moved away so that she could receive the care she needs." Sid explained as every face in the room went white with horror.

"It seems like this thing just picks on girls and well I have the perfect solution for all of that!" Curly shot in causing everyone to look at him skeptically.

"What are you planning Curly?" Gerald quizzed the questionably "sane" teen.

"I'm glad you asked Gerald…I Thaddeus "Curly" Gammelthorpe have the latest high tech equipment when it comes to spying. I originally brought this equipment to bug the girls showers and well you know-" he coughed as everyone raised their eyebrows at his response.

"I think hiding these tiny hidden cameras all over the campground might capture this person or thing that has been terrorizing the camp for all these years. We might actually find out what happened to Cindy Looper and prevent one of our own fair ladies from falling prey." Curly explained as he pulled out a small bag from his duffel and showed its contents to everyone.

"Wow Curly this is amazing! How did you get your hands on all this high tech stuff?" Eugene gushed admiring one of the tiny cameras.

"My dad knows a guy who's an ex spy who pretty much blows all his money on booze now. The guy was needing the extra money and sold these to my dad really cheap. I think their the same actual cameras the FBI uses except they're a little outdated. They work fine though." Curly shrugged collecting all the cameras and dumping them back in the bag.

"That's great and all but how are we going to watch every single camera though?" Sid questioned Curly's logic.

"I have 24/7 surveillance on the laptop I brought Sid so it's all taken care of." Curly confirmed showing everyone his laptop bag.

"I just got one question for you Curly…What were you saying about the girl's showers again?" Gerald chimed in curiously awaiting an answer but was instead assaulted by a barrage of pillows and an accusing tone of "Gerald" from the entire group.

"Don't put this blame on me! He started it!" Gerald accused pointing a finger at Curly who just shrugged before putting his equipment away.

"We're not bugging the girl's showers Gerald…You need to stop watching those videos you stole from Jamie-O. It's turning you into a horn dog." Arnold scoffed pulling the blankets over his head. Everyone just raised their eyebrows at him not saying a word.

"Yeah you better go to sleep!" Gerald threatened muttering something under his breath before climbing into bed as he tried his best to hide his embarrassment. He hadn't expected to be shown up by his best friend. He would have to plot his revenge later and boy would it be sweet.

~X~

Helga rubbed her tired eyes as the sound equated to a dying cow awoke her. She turned off the alarm she had set and dropped agilely off her top bunk. She grabbed her change of clothes she would be wearing for the day and her shower bag.

Puberty had been generous to Helga, and she had developed curves in all the right places. She no longer wore her hair up in her signature pigtails but had went for a freer look. She hardly ever dried her hair preferring a natural air dry instead. This would cause her hair to become curly and wild from the humidity but it suit her.

She had also been one of the first to buy a trainers bra during sixth grade. The boys had began to notice the subtle changes in her. She smirked when she remembered a time back in seventh grade when she had caught Arnold looking at her chest. The look on his face had been priceless when she had caught him. He hadn't been able to look her in the eye for weeks.

Helga noted the sun now beginning to rise above the mountain ranges. The sight was truly breath taking, and she almost wished she'd had a camera to encase its beauty forever. She made her way into the bathhouse and promptly stripped down to nothing. She slipped on her pool shoes and started the shower water. The faucet seemed to protest at first but then a steady stream of warm water began to pour from the nozzle.

Helga grabbed her loofa and washed her body in her exotic mango body wash Olga had gotten her on a trip to Peru. She enjoyed the wash because it exfoliated her skin and had searched online for hours for a retailer who sold it when she'd ran out. She ran her fingers through her hair before dumping a glob of strawberry shampoo on it. She massaged her scalp evenly before rinsing it out.

She turned off the water and grabbed her towel. She towel dried her hair for a few minutes before slipping on a pair of her pink Under Armor workout shorts and a white tank top. She then pulled on her socks and a pair of hiking boots. She finished squeezing out the ends of her hair before walking out of the bathhouse. She would come back and brush her teeth after breakfast.

She stared at the rising sun and began drifting into a poetic melody. She hadn't been watching where she was going because she felt herself loose her footing and begin to tumble over the person she'd ran in to. They both landed on the ground in a tangle of limbs, and she began to apologize profusely for her stupid clumsiness.

"Um it's okay Helga but do you think you'd mind getting off me now?" the voice strangled out a few raspy words and that's when Helga opened her eyes to realize she was lying on top of Arnold in a very compromising position. She felt her whole body freeze for a moment and refuse to move as she stared deeply into his jade pearls that put every single thing in that exact hue to shame.

She then realized what was happening when Arnold tried to move beneath her, "Oh I'm so sorry Arnold!" Helga apologized again as she forced herself up. She offered him her hand and pulled him up. Arnold's height wasn't impressive by any means. Helga was one of the tallest girls in her class and stood at a remarkable 5'8" at only fourteen years old. Arnold was about an inch shorter than her making him around 5'7".

"It's okay Helga…I'll see you at breakfast in a little bit." he said nervously dusting himself off.

"Yeah see ya then foo-t ball head!" she stuttered practically sprinting back to the girls cabin. He stopped a moment and realized just how fast his heart was beating. He never realized how soft her skin was. He made his way to the showers with his mind still in a daze before starting the shower. He blushed when he noticed he had a bit of a "problem" and thought he better "opt" for a cold shower this morning. He couldn't help but wonder how many cold showers he might be taking this week since he'd just taken a very distinctive notice of Helga G. Pataki.

**A/AN: Well there you have it! I'm not going to tell you if this **_**thing **_**is a person or a creature, but you'll find out soon! I hope you enjoyed the little HelgaxArnold bonus at the end! I appreciate all the reviews! The more you review, the faster I update! ****J**


	4. A Mysterious Happening

**Chapter Three **

**A Mysterious Happening**

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the reviews! My creativity is just bustling for this story so don't be surprised if I update every day or every other day.

The mess hall was bustling with activity. Everyone had piled their plates high with fluffy biscuits oozing in instant salt and pepper gravy. Gerald's goatee was dripping with a milk mustache as he flirted shamelessly with Phoebe who would giggle like a little school girl at anything he said.

"I didn't realize my best friends IQ had turned to mush." Helga muttered as she poked a marinating biscuit soaked in gravy with her fork.

"Hey Helga are you excited about the hike?" a flirty voice inquired settling down in front of her. Helga smirked at the slightly shorter boy who still sported beetle boots and a black leather jacket. Today he had opted for their class T-shirts and a pair of cutoff jeans.

"Hey Gifaldi." Helga greeted back lazily still reminiscing about her "run in" with Arnold earlier that morning. She could still feel his warm body pressed against hers. The thought of this made her girl hood tremble.

"You didn't answer my question." he teased placing his chin on top of his hands and batting his eyelashes at her teasingly.

"Crimney! Get over yourself Sid!" Helga said with an eye roll before pushing him away playfully laughing. Sid was one of the first to notice Helga's transformation into a "young" woman, and he had been cat calling her ever since. She had given him the benefit of the doubt by letting him take her to their school dance back in seventh grade but his hands had a problem with wandering, and he'd received a trophy black eye before the night was over.

"Oh come on baby you know you want me!" he teased while making kissing sounds with his lips.

"You'll have more luck dating your "hand" than you'll have dating me." Helga comeback before standing up and walking towards the trashcan. She threw her plate away and gave Sid a little wink before blowing him a kiss and walking out of the mess hall. She heard him whine in protest about something, but she kept walking. She had no interest in him at all, but she sure enjoyed tormenting him.

She walked back to her cabin to get her toothbrush. She opened the door and almost jumped when it creaked shut. "Man I've got to stop being so paranoid!" she muttered to herself before grabbing her toothbrush and tube of Colgate Total.

She threw her hair up in a messy bun before she exited the cabin and made her way to the bathhouse. She walked in the bathhouse and started to run some water in the sink. She promptly put a glob of the cinnamon toothpaste on her brush and shoved it in her mouth.

She almost dropped her brush when she looked up at the mirror and noticed a girl with blond curly hair staring at her with big blue eyes. The girl had long eyelashes and a petite frame. She was wearing a pair of jean shorts and a striped pink tank top. Helga rinsed her mouth out before turning around to meet the girl.

"Um can I help-" but when she turned around the girl was gone. Helga shook her head back and forth fiercely and gave herself a little slap.

"Crimney I've got to start getting more sleep…" she remarked before Nadine and Lila walked in right in the middle of her slap.

"Um Helga are you okay?" Nadine questioned the blond with a raised brow.

"Helga I'm ever so certain that you looked like you've seen a ghost." Lila added as concern filled the auburn haired girls eyes.

"Oh I'm fine." Helga laughed uncomfortably playing it off before leaving the bathhouse. The two girls just shrugged to one another before brushing their teeth.

Helga made her way back to the mess hall after she dropped off her toiletries. Mr. Simmons had already everyone paired off in groups, and she felt her heart lurch within her stomach when she saw Arnold standing there waiting on her. He was sporting a pair of brown hiking boots, with a pair of grey Bermuda shorts, along with a casual blue T-shirt.

"Hey Helga." he greeted her warmly with a smile. She thought she would turn to mush right then and there from that sweet smile that put the very sun and moon to shame.

"Um Hey Arnold." she said shyly averting her gaze, trying to make rocks look interesting.

"Wow you actually said my name…No Football head or Arnoldo? Are you sure your okay?" he teased causing her to look at him dumbfounded. Was Arnold trying to flirt with her?

"Well I just thought since were going to be "stuck" together all week that I might try being nice to you…Yeah that's it! Helga Pataki is turning over a new lead!" she quickly made up trying her best not to let her guard down. She was going to have be careful if she didn't want her "little" secret to spill.

"Whatever you say Helga…" he smirked giving her a little wink before turning his attention to Mr. Simmons who'd began to speak. Helga felt her jaw start to drop. He was flirting with her! She tried her best to keep her composure and focus on the words coming out of Mr. Simmon's mouth but it was proving to near be impossible because Arnold was just a few feet in front of her.

She smacked herself again to bring herself back down to reality. She noticed Nadine and Lila giving her questionable looks again, but she just ignored them. She tried to focus on what Mr. Simmons was saying which was something about trying to identify different types of plants, leaves, bugs, and animal tracks. There was a paper that was being passed out to each group with all the available information. The groups would be allowed to go at their own pace, but they must check five out of the twenty items on the list off and bring two samples back of the items checked off. There would be a prize given to the first group that brought back five samples and checked off fifteen of the items on the list.

"Give me the list Harold!" Rhonda snapped grabbing the list from the large boy who was staring at it upside down.

"I can't understand those big words! They're confusing me!" Harold whined as Rhonda scanned the list.

"It will be a miracle if I make it through this week with you as my partner…" she hissed in an angry voice before stalking off with Harold on her heels, "Wait up Rhonda I can't run that fast!" he huffed trying to catch up with the aristocratic girl.

"Well that's a mixture for a disaster if I do say so myself." Gerald remarked shaking his head at Rhonda and Harold as he and Phoebe made their way over to stand by Arnold and Helga.

"Yeah poor Rhonda has to put up with that oaf." Helga snickered before snatching the list from Arnold's hands. He gave her a disapproving look but just shrugged when Gerald gave him a worried look.

"I actually know another pair with the same problem." Gerald muttered under his breath but was met with a sharp jab in the ribs by Phoebe who gave him a threatening look.

"Ow…" Gerald whined rubbing his sore side.

"Why don't we all work together and try and find what's on the list? We might finish at a much faster pace if we work together." Arnold suggested as Helga apathetically passed the list back to him.

"Sounds good to me." Gerald shrugged turning to Phoebe for approval.

"I see no harm in collaborating and splitting up the work load." Phoebe added who then turned to Helga who still seemed to be in a daze.

"Yeah! Yeah! Sure Pheebs whatever…" Helga muttered, and the other three teens just shrugged before examining their lists.

"Well the first few items on the list look fairly easy to locate…We have to find a maple leaf, some deer tracks, a birds nest, and some daffodils. The rest of the list is a little more complex. He wants us to find a robin's egg, crow feathers, bear scat, some different types of weed samples, and a few other different types of animal tracks, insects, and flowers. The star item on the list is a candid shot of some wildlife being observed…I brought my camera." Phoebe announced holding up her Nikon after she read off the list.

"Well it looks like we should have no problem finding any of that stuff because we've got the brain on our team!" Gerald complimented Phoebe making her cheeks flush.

"Well are you three stooges going to stand there all day or are we going to get started?" Helga tapped her foot impatiently pointing to empty space. The three chattering teens hadn't realized the other groups had already migrated into the woods and that they were the only ones left.

"Helga's right we should probably get going." Arnold said as the foursome made their way down the trail Mr. Simmons had showed them. They were not supposed to venture to far off the trail and were to stay together.

The group walked along the trail for about two hours with Helga walking in front of Arnold who tried his best not to stare at her noticeably short pair of pink shorts that framed her bottom quiet nicely. What was wrong with him? He felt like he was turning into a salivating Neanderthal when it came to Helga. He wanted nothing more than to-

"Hey look I found a robins egg!" Phoebe cheered pulling Arnold from his lustful thoughts. He was quiet happy for the Asian girls disruption and turned to see what she was talking about. She held a tiny blue egg in her hand that she had collected from the ground that had probably fallen from a nearby nest.

Gerald gingerly wrapped it in tissue paper and placed it securely in one of the side pockets of his backpack. The group had already found daffodils, maple leaves, various weed samples, a few flowers petal extractions, and a couple of beetles placed in their complimentary bug kit.

"So what's next?" Helga inquired with her arms crossed loosely underneath her chest as she arched her back up against a tree lazily.

"Why don't we head back? I mean we've got more than the required amount of samples and things that needed to be checked off the list. Heck we even lucked out and found a robins egg!" Gerald beamed at Phoebe with a cheesy grin.

"Um Gerald only one of the groups is allowed to use the robin's egg." Phoebe said softly averting her gaze.

"Oh… Sorry." Gerald said feeling embarrassed. He scratched the back of his head feeling uncomfortable once he realized their predicament.

"Oh hey it's okay guys! Helga and I can find our last remaining item on the list without you. You both found the robin's egg, so you should both get to use it." Arnold remarked saving the day.

"Well Arnold would you and Helga like to borrow my camera for a nature shot then?" Phoebe offered handing Arnold her camera.

"Yeah that sounds good." Arnold smiled taking her camera.

"We'll catch you later then." Gerald replied as he waved to Arnold and Helga before walking with Phoebe down the opposite end of the trail and back towards the camp.

"Well where do we start first football head?" Helga muttered before giving Arnold a half lidded gaze.

"Well we need to find something in nature and observe it and take a picture I guess. We could take a picture of some wildlife." Arnold suggested and Helga just shrugged.

"Yeah well let's get to it and make it back before lunch." Helga snapped grabbing the camera from his hands. He just sighed and followed after her. He wasn't sure, but she seemed distant and out of it. He felt like she was keeping something from him. He decided to walk a little faster and boldly grabbed her shoulder spinning her around.

"Helga are you okay? You've been distant ever since we started the hike." Arnold voiced overly concerned about her behavior as usual. He was getting into her business yet again. She felt like biting his head off but decided to take Phoebe's words to heart and opt for another approach.

"Well Arnold you see this morning I was-" but before Helga could explain herself there was an ear piercing scream coming a little further down the path. There were no other words that left her mouth as Arnold grabbed her hand, and they her down the path. They had no idea what they would find at the end of it but were surprised when they seen Rhonda dangling from a ledge and hanging on for dear life.

Arnold ran as fast as he could leaving Helga standing awestruck at the scene unfolding in front of her. Arnold pulled Rhonda over the ledge who promptly collapsed in his arms with shaking sobs.

"Rhonda what happened?" Arnold asked concerned trying to get her to talk. She was finally able to communicate after calming down for a few moments.

"She came out of nowhere…and was crying and hanging on to the ledge. Harold tried to pull her up, but she pulled him down with her…I tried to grab his hand, but he was too heavy, and I couldn't-" Rhonda burst into tears again.

"Who pulled Harold down the ledge Rhonda?" Arnold asked in a soothing tone trying to calm her down.

"I don't know her name, but she had this curly blond hair with blue eyes, and they were full of so much evil Arnold I-" but she couldn't even finish her sentence without crying again.

Helga felt her blood run cold when she remembered the girl staring at her in the mirror that morning. She fit Rhonda's description of the girl who had pulled Harold down perfectly. She tried her best not to picture his broken body at the bottom of the ledge. Were they too late? Was it just coincidence that Harold had fell or was something more sinister at play?

**A/An: Well is Harold a goner? Who's this mysterious girl that Helga seen and was she the same one who caused this incident? Read and review! Be prepared because this story is only going to become more chilling!**


	5. Stranded

**Chapter Four**

**Stranded**

**Author's Note: **Wow I'm so glad to see you guys so into this story…I have to warn you though that things are going to keep getting darker and darker as we proceed. Read more but only if you dare.

"Man Nadine you're sure good at finding all of this nature stuff. You're pretty cool for a girl." Sid complimented the tan blond girl. Nadine had blossomed quiet nicely into a young woman. She had a fully developed set of even breast who Rhonda often fawned over because one of hers was uneven. She had long given up her spider braids and opted pulling her hair back into a nice curly ponytail. She liked to play soccer and kept herself in shape by working out. She had large calf muscles thanks to the sports she played.

The one thing that hadn't changed about Nadine was her love for etymology and things most girls would turn their nose at. Sid found her to be a very complimentary partner because he was in to the same things.

"Ha thanks Sid! You're not so bad yourself! I mean I think it was pretty cool how you climbed into that mossy pond to retrieve those frog eggs." she smiled causing him to blush slightly.

"Well do you think we should head back now? I mean we've found everything on this list and it's only been two hours. We've got about an hour and a half until lunch if you'd like to hang out or something." Sid said nervously to the busty blond.

"Sure Sid I'd love to hang out with you." Nadine grinned at the dark haired boy in response.

"Boy howdy! Well let's get going then!" Sid laughed with a triumphant march back towards the camp. Nadine couldn't help but giggle at his enthusiasm as they hiked back down the trail.

They had ventured farther than the rest of the group because they both wanted to take a look at the pond they'd spotted about a half a mile ahead of the required terrain. They were positive Mr. Simmons wouldn't object to this decision once he seen the frog eggs they'd snagged.

They laughed and talked animatedly until they heard a cry for help. They both stopped and listened intently trying to pick up the voice far off in the distance.

"Did you hear that Sid?" Nadine inquired looking over at her partner for clarification.

"I sure did! Let's try and see where it's coming from!" Sid retorted grabbing Nadine's hand and running further down the path. She blushed at the innocent contact as they ran down the trail. Nadine was a very chaste girl and hadn't ever been kissed let alone held hands with another boy. She felt shy holding his hand but was pretty sure he hadn't even noticed what he'd done.

She didn't have time to say anything because right in front of her was Helga who was frantically yelling for help. Arnold who was holding a broken Rhonda trying to keep her calm, but there was someone missing.

Nadine ripped her hand away from Sid's as she ran to the aid of her best friend. She looked into the depths of Arnold's green irises searching for something and then she realized what had happened without a single word being exchanged between them.

"Where's Harold?" Sid asked the burning question before she had a chance which sent Rhonda even further over the edge just by the mention of his name.

"He fell over the ledge trying to save a girl who wasn't apparently ever there." Helga explained with broken uneven syllables. She was apparently in shock.

"We found Rhonda hanging on to the ledge for dear life… She said Harold tried to save a mysterious girl hanging from the ledge. The girl apparently pulled him down with her. Rhonda tried to save him, but Harold was too heavy, and she said she couldn't pull him back up so he fell." Arnold imparted looking deep into Nadine's eyes. She nodded with full understanding as she gathered her broken friend into her arms in an effort to console her.

"How far down did he fall?" Sid questioned as calm as possible exchanging looks between Arnold and Helga.

"We have no idea…Helga looked over the ledge and tried calling his name, but he didn't answer. The ledge looks like it goes down at least thirty feet." Arnold responded as the words fell from his mouth like lead blanketing the group in a heavy silence.

"We need to find out how far down it goes then and see if we can find Harold's body." Sid suggested but the group remained silent.

"It wouldn't do any good Sid…There's a bunch of jagged rocks down below and there's no way any of us could make it down there without getting hurt. It's safe to say that anyone who fell that far would either impale themselves on a rock or break their neck once they hit the ground." Helga stated with a hollow look in her eyes. She looked like one of those girls who'd just witnessed a murder.

The entire group's blood ran cold from Helga's inert statement. Sid stalked towards the edge of the cliff and peered over the edge. He turned around mechanically and stalled for a moment before turning towards the foursome.

"We should probably head back to camp and have someone excavate Harold's body…There's quiet a lot of blood down there." he stated uneasily before vomiting profusely behind a tree.

~X~

The group walked back to the camp in silence. The sounds of the wildlife had even died out. Arnold carried a paralyzed Rhonda back to camp with Nadine close to her side. Nadine held onto Sid's hand and for comfort. He was thankful for the security as he gripped the blond girls hand tightly. Helga led the way and made long strides with her legs, and Arnold swore she would probably take flight if gravity hadn't prevented her.

The camp soon came into view with rest of their class animatedly talking about the hike and showing off their souvenirs. The group fell silent when Helga sauntered over to Mr. Simmons and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Why Hello Helga what can I do for you?" Mr. Simmons chirped brightly giving Helga a big smile.

"You can call Harold Berman's parents and tell him he's dead and then you can go retrieve his disassembled body below the cliff he fell from. You'll probably find an organ or two strewn here and there because there's some pretty sharp rocks down there." Helga imparted before stalking off towards the woods.

There were no words that could express the look of horror on Mr. Simmons's face. Arnold had handed Rhonda off to Nadine who explained the situation as best as she could to their former teacher between broken syllables and waves of tears.

Ms. Truman had explained to the class that the field trip would be cut short and to gather their things as quickly as possible. The teens did as they were told without question because no one had anything to say but one thing was for sure: these events would be talked about for years to come amongst the group.

Arnold ignored Mr. Simmons's instructions and raced off to find Helga. He knew she was in shock and didn't need to be alone. He found her sitting by the lake staring absent mindedly into the still water.

He grabbed her shoulder, and she spun around before collapsing into his chest in a fit of sobs. He tried his best to comfort her by stroking her hair and holding her close. She pulled away from him momentarily and looked deeply into his eyes piercing his very soul with the words she spoke next.

"We're never going home Arnold…She's not going to stop until she's killed every last one of us." she spoke soft but dangerously.

"Helga what are you talking about?" he said taken aback by her statement.

"She's going to extract her revenge on every one of us Arnold…Harold was no accident. She's just getting started." she imparted sending a shiver up his spine. He stepped back for a moment trying to take it all in. He was startled when a curly blond haired girl with deep blue eyes was staring back at him in Helga's place. She laughed menacingly at him as her eyeballs rotted from her sockets and spiders crawled out of them. He screamed and ran as far away from her as he could, but he couldn't seem to get away. He cried out for help but none came. He felt his whole body lurch forward when the darkness consumed him. He could feel someone calling out his name.

"_Arnold wake up! Please wake up Arnold!" it pleaded, and he lurched forward and opened his eyes to meet her comforting blue ones._

"Where am I?" he snapped springing forward only to be met by two willowy limbs bracing his shoulders.

"You blacked out on your way back to camp…It was after Rhonda explained the situation to Mr. Simmons. You just went into shock or something. I guess you couldn't handle the news." she breathed stroking his hair lightly out of his eyes. They were both sitting in the boys cabin on his bed.

"Where is everyone?" he questioned beginning to panic again.

"Shh…It's going to be okay…Everyone is fine…Mr. Simmons has called the authorities, and they're on there way here. We're going to be leaving very soon." she said soothingly putting his nerves at ease.

"Helga please don't leave me…" he pleaded threading his fingers through her long blond hair.

"I'm not…Just go back to sleep…I'll be here when you wake up." she promised him and with those final words he felt himself drifting off again unable to believe how exhausted he really was.

She sighed getting up and walking towards the door. She really didn't want to leave him, but she needed to talk to Phoebe and Gerald to see how the situation was. She stalked out of the cabin to be met by the pair standing just a few feet in front of her.

"How's he doing?" Gerald inquired to the blond standing in front of him.

"He finally woke up, but he was screaming and thrashing in his sleep. He seemed really exhausted and out of it. I coaxed him into going back to sleep for the meantime." she explained, and the dark skinned boy just nodded in agreement.

"So how's everything looking?" Helga inquired turning to Phoebe who didn't look hopeful.

"Well it turns out Mr. Simmons wasn't able to contact the authorities because there's no cell phone service available at the moment. The bus is also mysteriously out of gas." she sighed adjusting her blue rimmed glasses.

"Doesn't Rhonda have a satellite phone or something? Can't she call her parents on her laptop? She said it had a special transmitter in it or something." Helga suggested trying to stay hopeful, but Phoebe just shook her head in response.

"Rhonda's laptop was smashed to pieces when we got back to the room…" Phoebe clarified giving Helga a sick feeling that was now comfortably settled within her stomach.

"So what do we do now?" she questioned gulping the bile back in her throat afraid to hear her friend's answer.

"Well we have no choice but to wait…We're stranded here until further notice I'm afraid." Phoebe sighed as the air filled with a thick feeling of dread. Helga knew that it wasn't over because there was something out there that wanted them all dead. She just wondered who's number would come up next. The wind blew eerily around them letting them know that the worst was yet to come.

**A/AN: Spooky enough for you? It's just going to get better and better! I also want to point out that Harold is dead. It isn't a crime to kill off a character because they do it in the movies ALL the time! Who's next? If you'd like to you can submit who you think I should kill next in the reviews!**


	6. Night Watch

**Chapter Five**

**Night Watch**

**Author's Note: **I realized how many grammatical errors chapter four had, so I went back and fixed them. I've never had a beta reader before because I don't like asking people for help, but I'm sure I could use one occasionally. I must say that Rhonda is not going to die. She has a pretty significant part to play at the end of this. I don't have this entire story planned out except the end sort of, so I'm pretty much just making up stuff as I go along. I typically have very lose ends throughout my fics and then tie them all together in the end. Enjoy chapter five!

Mr. Simmons had banned anyone from going into the woods. No one was allowed to leave the campsite under any circumstances. They were all eating lunch in the mess hall quietly and hardly anyone was touching their hamburgers and fries.

Ms. Truman kept walking around the mess hall and pointing her phone up towards various parts hoping to get a signal. She jumped for joy when a couple of bars popped up. She dialed 911 in hopes of finally getting them all out of there. All the teens peered at her hopeful, but she frowned when the operator said "You're call could not be completed as dialed. Please check the number and dial again."

She cursed under her breath and placed the phone back in her pocket and yelled at Mr. Simmons, "Who would believe we can't even dial 911 from this bloody place!?" she grumbled pulling at the ends of her hair.

"We've got to stay calm Patricia…There's got to be a perfect explanation for all of this." he told her in his calmest voice but everyone could tell he was scared out of his wits.

"We're all going to die just like Harold did…" Rhonda said robotically causing several sets of eyes to peer at her uneasily.

"No ones going to die…I promise." Mr. Simmons assured the disturbed teen, but she just shook her head back and forth fiercely.

"We're all going to die…You'll see…" she half whispered rocking herself back and forth. Mr. Simmons searched the room for any sign of sanity that might be left. He noticed Nadine and Sid sitting the closest to Rhonda, and he sighed.

"Nadine…I know you and Rhonda are very close…Do you both mind escorting her back to her cabin? Get her some water and give her this sleeping pill. She needs to rest. She's been through enough today." he instructed before turning to Sid, "Sid I would like you to escort Nadine and Rhonda back to their cabin. Stay with them until I give you further directions."

Sid and Nadine both took one of Rhonda's hands and escorted her out of the mess hall. Mr. Simmons placed the blue sleeping pill in Sid's hand before they left and then turned to the remaining teens.

"I know you're probably all very frightened right now, but I promise Ms. Truman nor myself will let anything happen to any one else. I would like all of the boys to please move your things in to the girls cabin's tonight. I know this is very unusual, and your parents probably won't approve, but I have no other choice. I think it's best if we all try and stick together at this point." he explained as an explosion of murmurs and complaints erupted across the mess hall.

Ms. Truman assured everyone that they would all still be sleeping in their own beds and not to worry. Gloria said she felt awkward sharing a room with all the boys because she didn't want them seeing her in her pajamas which Helga promptly comeback with, "Would you rather be seen in your nightgown or have your bowels disassembled?" She said nothing more, but Mr. Simmons scolded Helga and told her that she shouldn't make rash statements after what had just happened.

~X~

The day had wasted away into evening, and the teens all decided to gather around the campfire minus Sid, Rhonda, and Nadine to discuss what was going to happen.

"Curly I think we should follow through with your plan and bug this entire campsite!" Gerald said animatedly waving his arms back and forth as he pointed at the best spots to put a camera.

"I told you I could do it Gerald now who would like to help? I have about ten cameras we can use and my laptop isn't broken…I always carry it with me." Curly proudly informed them.

"Wait a second Curly…You mean you've still got your laptop with you? Rhonda also had a laptop that could hold a transmitter. Is your laptop anything like Rhonda's?" Phoebe quipped excitedly.

"Yeah I can access the internet if that's what you mean." Curly shrugged not completely understanding the point of the conversation. Helga stalked over to him angrily and lifted the shorter boy up by his shirt collar.

"CURLY YOU DOLT! DO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT WE'VE HAD ACCESS TO THE INTERNET THE ENTIRE TIME!? WE COULD'VE BEEN CALLING FOR HELP! WHAT"S WRONG WITH YOU!?" she screamed her voice dipped in venom. Arnold and Gerald grabbed her arms and pulled her off of the gasping boy.

"Helga what's wrong with you!? You can't kill Curly! He's the only chance we've got left to escape!" Gerald lectured the scowling blond who just gave him a breakneck look.

"Fine…" she seethed as Gerald backed away from the venomous blond.

After about an hour of discussion the group decided to set out on a mission to bug the premises. The boys decided to do it alone, and the girls returned to their cabin to be with Rhonda who was sleeping at the moment.

Thirty minutes later Curly had booted up his laptop and had pulled up the various cameras. There was a camera placed at the front and back of the coed cabin, near the mess hall, beside each bathhouse, in a tree close to the lake, two along the hiking trail, and the rest were placed in the abandoned cabins close to the camp.

The group peered hungrily at the screen on Curly's laptop hoping to catch something on camera. The first couple of hours drug by rather slowly, and the group finally retired to the mess hall to eat a late supper. After a meager spread of boloney and cheese sandwiches with a bag of lays chips the group returned to the cabin and got ready for bed.

The boys had promptly moved their stuff in taking mostly bottom bunks which put many of the girl's minds at ease. There would be around the clock surveillance of the laptop with various individuals taking turns throughout the night.

Mr. Simmons and Ms. Truman had both moved out into the open part of the cabin to be with the rest of the teens. The door was locked, and no one was allowed to leave under any circumstances throughout the night. Eugene rather embarrassed explained his bladder dysfunction. A mop bucket was taken from the mess hall for "late night" emergencies.

The group wasn't too happy about this arrangement, but no one dared to leave the secure shelter. The two adults were both rather impressed by Curly's equipment and were thankful he'd brought it with him and hadn't even bothered to question why.

A group of two would watch the surveillance camera for an hour on one of the empty beds in the middle of the room. They each signed up for shifts excluding Rhonda. Arnold and Helga signed up for the 3:00-4:00 AM watch.

Helga yawned as they peered into the ten different sectors on the laptop. Arnold leaned against her shoulder staring blankly at the screen.

"Getting a little cozy aren't we football head?" Helga interjected turning her eyes to him which caused him to blush.

"Sorry Helga…I'm still really shook up from yesterday, and I guess being close to you puts me at ease." he retorted shifting his weight on the bed. She felt her heart rate increase from his statement. She put Arnold at ease?

"It's okay Arnoldo…I'll let you slide this time." she grinned giving him a genuine smile.

"Thanks Helga." he smiled back as they peered back on to the screen to see if anything has changed.

"Oh Helga I just wanted to say thanks for staying with me this afternoon. I was a real mess, and I just snapped." he thanked her, and she just gave him a friendly pat on the back with a "Sure thing Football head".

"Arnold do you feel like we were supposed to come here for a reason?" Helga asked the blond haired teenager out of the blue.

"I'm not sure but if we are then I hope we find out what it is before someone else gets hurt." he told her placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Hey do you see that?" Helga added pointing to camera eight that was along the hiking trail. There was a group of younger men it appeared with hiking gear passing along the trail about half a mile from the campsite.

"Yes we're saved!" Arnold whispered excitedly who was about to alert Mr. Simmons, but she just shook her head and told him to keep looking at the screen. He frowned unsure of why she wanted their only hope of survival to slip away from them.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd to be hiking at night Arnold? What's there to see at 3:30 in the morning anyway?" she questioned him realizing that he had a point, so he just kept watching them and waited for something to happen. They became uneasy when they noticed the group of hikers enter their campsite. They watched them both intently as they made their way to cabin fourteen which was one of the older unused cabins no one stayed in anymore.

They both watched the screen intently as the group of about four men entered the abandoned cabin and then exited it again roughly ten minutes later and started back down the trail. They didn't bother to disturb the rest of the camp after leaving the cabin.

Helga hadn't realized how tightly Arnold's sweaty hand had been grasping hers, but they gazed at each other briefly before blushing.

"Sorry Helga." he apologized before wiping off his hand on his old worn nightshirt.

"It's okay.." she sputtered nervously before wiping her hand on the edge of the bed.

"What do you think those men were doing in cabin fourteen?" Arnold inquired to the blond breaking the inevitable silence that had settled between them.

"I'm not sure, but I think we should let this be our little secret…I say tomorrow we stake out a few of the old cabins lying around here." she suggested about to get out of bed and alert the 4:00-5:00 shift, but Arnold stopped her before she could leave.

"Why shouldn't we tell? Don't you think it could be dangerous going in alone?" he objected, and she looked deep into his eyes before speaking.

"I have a feeling that those men may be our connection with Cindy Looper. She's restless Arnold, and we need to find out what really happened to her and put her soul to rest. I know this sounds crazy but for some reason I think she just needs reconciliation. No one has ever found her body…Don't you think that's why she's upset? I know this sounds crazy, but I really feel like the reason she killed Harold was to get someone's attention. She wants us to know she's here, and I plan on finding out why." Helga retorted watching as the color drain from his face.

She had failed to mention the small detail of seeing her in the bathhouse staring at her in the mirror that morning, but she felt like it was a secret she wasn't supposed to tell. Cindy Looper hadn't disclosed herself to anyone else, and Helga knew she was reaching out to her for a purpose.

She knew she could very well end up like Harold at the bottom of a cliff, but she was going to take that chance if it meant saving the rest of her class and especially that of a boy with pear green eyes and cornflower hair.

"Helga I-" but she placed a finger to his lips before he could say anymore.

"Good night Arnold." she told him before walking towards Sheena's bunk and awakening her and Eugene for the next watch.

They exchanged no more words as they both carried a heavy weight on their shoulders of the realization that they may never leave Camp Fading Moss and if they did they may be fighting tooth and nail to do so.

**A/AN: What's with the mysterious hikers and is Helga right about Cindy Looper? Read and Review! Your questions shall be answered soon enough! **


	7. Jars of Souvenirs

**Chapter Six**

**Jars of Souvenirs **

**Author's Note: **I have a lot of questions pertaining to Curly's computer. Let's just say he was unable to contact anyone. Sorry for the confusion. Ready for another death? I am. Proceed on but only if you dare! Mwhaaa!

Arnold and Helga waited for the opportune time to go and explore the camp. The rest of the group stayed close to the mess hall, coed cabin, and fire pit. Mr. Simmons had started various games in the mess hall including: charades, various card games, and monopoly.

After lunch most of them were becoming restless so they decided to do an outside games such as: the three legged race, tug-of-war, and a friendly game of baseball. Arnold felt bad about lying, but Helga told him it was for the best. He pretended to have a stomach ache, and Helga acted like she was going to stay with him. Mr. Simmons hadn't objected since he was so big on the "buddy" system.

The rest of the group engaged in the outside activities except for Curly who was too busy trying to contact someone for help but it wasn't doing him any good because the transmitter in his laptop wasn't picking up a signal. They had lost internet access after they bugged the camp yesterday. They luckily were still able to monitor the surveillance though.

Rhonda seemed to be doing better, but she still wasn't saying much and clung to Nadine like a security blanket. No one dared to even bring up Harold's name but the memory of yesterday still clung heavily in the air.

Arnold and Helga made their way to the back of the camp where the older cabins were. Each cabin had it's number painted in dark black paint at the top. They had just passed cabin nine, and Helga couldn't help but rub her shoulders for warmth.

"Crimney! It's so creepy back here! It's no wonder these stay abandoned!" she shuddered, and Arnold turned around to look at her.

"I bet these haven't been used in over thirty years…I hope we can get to the bottom of everything and figure it all out before anyone else gets hurt." he commented as they passed eleven, and twelve, and then thirteen.

Helga gulped back the bile in her throat as she looked at the faded black fourteen sitting atop the cabin door. She felt like she was about to enter the very bowels of hell as she stared at the cryptic number.

"Well here we are…" Arnold replied placing his hand on the cabin door. Helga grabbed his other hand and breathed deeply. He stared at her for a moment before opening the door. She could see the fear in his eyes.

"Let's just get this over with!" she remarked, and he just nodded as he pushed open the cabin door. The cabin looked exactly like the one they were staying in except all the beds had been removed. The ceilings were higher and a heavy coating of dust made Helga start to cough uncontrollably. Daylight shined through the frothy glass windows giving the room some substance of life.

"Well I guess we can go! I don't see anything particularly interesting!" Helga laughed nervously pulling on Arnold's hand, but he didn't budge. She blinked when she noticed his eyes were fixed on something she hadn't noticed before. The cabin was completely empty on the inside but there was a door on the left side of the room.

"These cabins are bigger because they have a loft upstairs." Arnold retorted leading Helga toward the door but her feet felt like lead. She couldn't move.

"Come on Helga we've got to see what's up there." he told her with gentle green eyes, and she just sighed as she watched him place his hand on the door and turn the knob.

~X~

"Stinky are you ever so sure we won't get caught?" Lila moaned as the tall skinny boy nibbled on her ear.

"You worry too much Ms. Lila!" he assured her as he pushed her further up against the tree. She arched her back as he started kissing her again. Lila was fourteen years old, but she was no "little" girl anymore.

Puberty had been good to her in more ways than one. She had curves in just the right places and her breast were above the average size making twenty year old men take notice.

She wasn't the sweet and innocent country bumpkin girl everyone knew back in fourth grade. Lila Sawyer was a woman and loved to take advantage of naïve young boys, and Stinky Peterson was falling into her trap.

Growing up without a mother had taken it's toll on Lila and living with a father who was barely ever home didn't make it any better. Once she realized she could turn heads the problems started. She remembered bringing a sixteen year old boy she met on the bus home with her back in sixth grade and letting him have his way with her.

She remembered crying a lot, but something about that day made her numb inside. She began dating older men shortly after that. She loved the college boys because they took her to parties and bought her drinks. She showed them how much she "appreciated" them by using her body as compensation for the gifts and drinks.

She knew taking advantage of Stinky was wrong, but she had needs, and he'd been an easy target. The sweet and innocent southern charm she radiated caused all the boys to be at her beckoned call. She was about to take it even further, but Stinky just stopped.

"Stinky why ever did you stop?" she huffed aggravated from the loss of contact, but he just stood there frozen with fear.

"Ms. Lila you need to run…" he said soft but firmly. She knew that something was behind them now, and she didn't dare move, but he didn't give her a choice. She dared not turn around and look into the eyes of the thing behind them. She knew it wasn't human.

"Run Lila!" Stinky bellowed pushing her out of the way as the creature lunged at them. She didn't dare turn around and look into the menacing eyes of the thing that was now latched onto Stinky tearing him limb from limb. The last sounds she heard were Stinky's blood curling screams and the sound of the blood rushing in her ears as she reached the camp.

She hurled herself into the arms of the first body she seen and began to cry manically, "Stinky's dead!" she howled before blacking out.

~X~

Helga held onto Arnold's hand tightly as they both climbed the stairs to the top of the cabin. Once they reached the top Arnold reached for a light.

"Let's see if there's a light switch in here or something." he motioned to her after letting go of her hand. She let her eyes adjust to the darkness and quickly realized the room wasn't empty. She could've screamed when Arnold flipped a switch. She clamored into his arms and placed her head in the nape of his neck causing him to blush.

"Arnold what do you see?" she whispered frantically almost losing her voice from fright still refusing to open her eyes. He cradled her gently against them once he realized they were surrounded by old medical equipment but that wasn't what chilled him to the bone.

There were a set of dusty old jars numbered 1-15 with a picture of everyone's faces on them. Arnold examined the jars carefully and almost puked when he noticed Harold's face on a jar with the number one scribbled on it. Helga pulled her face away from Arnold's shirt when she heard him gag.

She got up and scrunched her nose examining the jar and felt her face go white when she noticed the jar contained one of Harold's vital organs.

"Helga…we need to get out of here now!" Arnold's voice quivered with every syllable, but Helga wasn't backing down.

"Wait a second Arnold." she said holding up her hand in a halting gesture as she examined the rest of the jars. Stinky's face was printed on number two, Gloria was on number three, and she couldn't bear to look anymore.

"Yes Arnold let's get out of here!" she commanded more than stated as they switched off the light and bounded down the stairs. Helga shut the door behind them just in case the hiker's came back and ran out of the cabin after Arnold. She grabbed his shoulder and pulled him behind cabin eight.

"Helga we have to-" she could see the fear in his eyes, but she refused to feel afraid. She braced his shoulders and looked into his viridian depths. He was always the boy reassuring everyone everything was going to be okay but now it was her turn.

"Arnold…Calm down…I realize that something sick and twisted is going on right now, but I swear to you that we will make it out of here alive. I will save as many of you as I can because no one was able to save me." and that's when Arnold realized he was no longer talking to Helga. There was someone trying to communicate through her.

"Helga snap out of it!" he jolted forward shaking her hard until he knew it was Helga looking at him and not someone else.

"What are you doing football head!?" she demanded furiously.

"Helga there was someone else talking through you just a minute ago. You weren't yourself." he admitted hoping to resolve the issue.

"Well doi! We just found one of pink boy's organs stored in a jar with his picture on the front of it! Stuff is getting really weird around here, and I'm pretty sure the rest of those jars aren't just for looks! They're probably for our organs!" she exclaimed animatedly until Gerald came running towards them.

"Good I found you! Man you're both not going to believe this, but Lila came back to camp all frantic and junk! She said Stinky's dead man! She said some kind of rabid creature tore him up and what are we going to do!?" Gerald cried truly afraid. They were all afraid, but Arnold and Helga knew that Harold's death was no accident. It was planned, and they both realized their number would come up eventually.

**A/An: Well my dears! I've revealed more about my plot! What's really going on and can they keep blaming it on a ghost? What's up with Helga and those mysterious jars? Yes things are about to get very interesting! Keep reading but only if you dare…**


	8. Hiatus

**Hiatus**

**I just want everyone to know I'm going to be on a long hiatus from most of my fanfics for awhile. I'll be updating periodically like each of them twice a month hopefully but for awhile it may just be once a month. I apologize for this, but I do intend to finish all of them in an orderly fashion! Please be patient with me.**

**Anjyu**


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